KITTERY — Kittery's karate kid is like any other 12-year-old aside from the fact he's a second-degree black-belt and when he goes to see "The Pink Panther 2" next week with his friends, he'll be watching himself in the fight scenes with actor Steve Martin.

By GEOFF CUNNINGHAM Jr.

KITTERY — Kittery's karate kid is like any other 12-year-old aside from the fact he's a second-degree black-belt and when he goes to see "The Pink Panther 2" next week with his friends, he'll be watching himself in the fight scenes with actor Steve Martin.

Ryan Wells — a seventh-grader at Shapleigh Middle School — put his martial arts prowess to work last October when he traveled to Chelsea, Mass., to shoot scenes for a new movie that has him playing stunt man for Martin's character's two playfully aggressive nephews.

The 4-foot, 6-inch double black-belt in Isshin Ryu Karate — a martial art that stresses the use of weapons — has been studying the art form since he was in preschool and his father, Tim Wells, said he is a 10-time world champion.

Ryan studies martial arts locally at Harry Charache's "On-Site Family Karate" in Portsmouth, but tours the world competing with an elite professional karate outfit sponsored by Paul Mitchell hair products.

His father said the Paul Mitchell team coach Don Rodrigues notified him that the producers of "The Pink Panther" were looking for a child karate expert to serve as the stunt-kid for the scene where Martin's "Inspector Clouseau" repeatedly is challenged by his overzealous nephews to karate fights.

"The were looking for a kid who was an expert with weapons," Tim Wells said.

And Ryan was their man.

The middle-school student choreographed his own fight scenes for the movie and spent four days shooting them with the movie's actors in a Chelsea warehouse.

"They made it look like downtown Paris ... it was amazing," the father said.

Ryan not only got to meet Martin — an actor known for his physical comedy — but also got the chance to get up close and personal with him during scenes involving the boy bursting out of a soap-filled bathtub and attacking Martin with a bo-staff and nun-chucks.

The weapons held by Martin in the movie are computer generated, but Ryan used the real thing.

The Kittery boy wore a wig to look like the child actors in the movie and said Martin's fight scene always had the famed comedian's stunt double stepping in anytime there was physical contact.

Tim Wells recalled the first time his son went through his sequence and actually made contact with Martin in a fight scene before the actor's stunt double stepped in.

"The first scene he actually punched him in the leg," Tim Wells said with a laugh.

Ryan said he had to do upward of 25 takes of one fight scene where Martin's character was supposed to fall through a glass window.

His father said Martin was becoming frustrated that the glass wasn't breaking, but his son did his part perfectly every time.

Ryan is a hard-core student of karate and noted that Martin was not the funnyman most might think he is when he wasn't playing the bumbling inspector.

"He is a really serious guy," Ryan said.

However, that didn't bother him and he said he respects Martin for his dedication to his job.

Tim Wells said Martin learned it was Ryan's last day on the set one afternoon and personally came up to him to thank him.

The boy was tutored on the set and said the catered food was among the best parts of the job.

"It was better than regular school lunch," said Ryan as he flashed a smile full of braces.

Ryan said it took awhile for his friends to believe he is going to be in the movie and clips of his fight scene are already running on movie trailers being shown throughout the world.

The boy said he is entertaining the idea of trying to get an actual acting part in a movie and has already been approached for some future projects and commercial spots.

Charache said he couldn't be less surprised Ryan was selected for the part and knew the boy was something special the first time he instructed him as a preschooler.

He said he told Ryan's parents they need to let him attend more classes.

"I told them ... you gotta let me keep this kid," Charache said.

"He is a cool, calm collected 12-year-old with braces, but put a weapon in his hand and you've never seen anything like it. He has moves people try to copy," said the sixth-degree black belt.

"The Pink Panther 2" is set to be released on Feb. 6 in movie theaters across the country.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.